what a magnificent soul it was. >> president obama eulogizing nelson mandela as one of the greatest leaders of our time. and in south africa, rain is a blessing. the rain pouring down on joe hanesburg as tens of thousands mourned mandela's death. hi, everybody, good morning. i'm thomas roberts. mandela remembered as a prisoner, a president and giant of history. president obama was greeted with cheers as he first sat down at the stadium. it was a chance to memorialize one of his personal heroes. >> while i will always fall short of his example, he makes me want to be a better man. he speaks to what's best inside us. >> and then one of those moments where time seemed to slow was that handshake between president obama and cuba's raul castro,

bringing together two very unlikely people. now two of the nearly 100 world leaders who gathered there in solidarity, and there were some certainly memorable moments in that stadium to honor nelson mandela, the man. >> nelson mandela showed us a way with a heart larger than this stadium. >> joining me now is nbc's ron allen. ron, this was certainly a diplomatic occasion, the likes of which we rarely see. you've been close by so walk us through the significance of what took place and the significance of this stadium and what we have on the agenda for the rest of the week as the country is observing this celebration of nelson mandela's life. >> reporter: well, thomas, one of the most powerful moments that i saw and will remember is after president obama's speech when he went and greeted the mandela family. we saw nelson mandela's widow,

one of the first times we've seen her since his passing last thursday and one of the first times we've seen her since his long illness dating pack to june leading up to this moment. she's a woman with such grace, dignity, class, elegance, that was a very telling image for me. the two obviously have a rapport, which is very, very telling. also winnie mandela there, nelson mandela's former wife and other members of the mandela clan, which is a huge family. tens of thousands of people were in this magnificent stadium, and although there was rain and the crowds were smaller than expected, there was still just a huge powerful emotional event. also world leaders from as many as 90 different countries, which is unprecedented, including four presidents at the same time. >> it is truly amazing and so much outpouring of love and support certainly from diplomats and delegations around the world but from the people of south africa. ron, explain the funeral and the burial.

that's going to be in his rural childhood village, correct? >> reporter: exactly. that comes sunday. tomorrow, wednesday, we begin three days of public viewing of the body lying in state at the union building at the capitol here. members of the public will be able to come by and view nelson mandela's body as it lies in state. saturday is essentially a travel day where the body is taken some 600 miles or so to a remote part of the country, one of the poorest parts of south africa, ironically and underscores the humble beginnings of nelson mandela. when you appreciate that and the heights to which he rose, you really do get a different and very true sense of the measure of this great man. >> such an epic moment in history and for people here in this country who may not be familiar with what nelson mandela means to the people of south africa, it's almost as if bearing george washington and what it's like to see this modern day hero of modernization

for democracy. nbc's ron allen, thanks so much, i appreciate it. joining me now on the phone from south africa is congresswoman maxine waters, part of the congressional delegation that attended today's memorial service. congresswoman, thanks for making time for me. explain to all of us for you personally, what was it like to be inside that stadium today? >> being inside the stadium to say farewell to nelson mandela was extremely important to me. the part that he did to fight apartheid, to get him out of prison kind of culminates today with this memorial celebration. i have lived with the loeadershp of nelson mandela for many, many years. in the california state legislature, i authored the bill that company vedivested pension

south africa as part of the pressure that we put on the apartheid government. i w we also joined with students on colleges and universities and we took over the south africa consulate in los angeles on thanksgiving and refused to leave as we tried to pressure the south african government. so having that bill signed into law and having worked with so many people and then greeting him when he came to l.a. where we organized a big celebration in the coliseum and then coming to south africa for his inauguration has been a big part of my life. and now having been here any number of times and been here for the closing moments of the history that brought us to this

point because his history will live on forever. but right now everybody is recognizing the contributions that he made and everybody is going to make, even in death he's bringing people together with raul castro shaking the hand of the president of the united states. someone even said the sky is weeping for nelson mandela as it rains. so it's a wonderful moment. it's a moment that causes me to reflect on everything that i've been involved in and it's a moment to cause me to reflect on the man, the hero, the magnificent human being who taught the world what it means to be committed. >> congresswoman maxine waters, you certain low have an integral part in the success of south africa and all of the people as we watch today the diverse collection of people that showed up today to celebrate nelson mandela, so thank you for joining me and your reflexes from south africa.

safe travels back to the states. >> thank you, you're so welcome. joining me now is lechlt a i -- leila mcdowell. i want to start with you. you have this fantastic picture, you tweeted this out. you were on the plane with nelson mandela and his wife, winnie, after he was released from prison traveling around on this eight-city tour that they took. there's harry belafonte too. tell me what stood out to you the most, as you think back to the young lady you were at that time and now how you remember that specioexperience. >> well, i'm still a young lady, but i think that what was so impressive about nelson mandela was both the gentle spirit, he was driven by a great passion and love for humidity but he also had a soul of steel and he was a radical revolutionary, and that didn't change after south africa was free from apartheid. if you looked at his policies,

and we talked about this a lot on the plane. you know, he worked very closely with the communist party. he formed the armed liberation movement there. he never renounced violence. he was given an opportunity to leave prison if he would. he refused to do so. later he condemned the war in iraq, which he called an extension of u.s. imperialism. fidel castro was an inspiration to him. he said this was a man who was very much a revolutionary, and it's so ironic to see, for example, many of the leading republicans embrace him because he also believed that being free from poverty was a fundamental human right and that government should make sure that people were not impoverished. >> you make a great point about fidel castro and how mandela felt about him. a source of inspiration to all freedom-loving people. i just want to point this out because the president took this opportunity to memorialize

mandela in his speech today but also used it as a teachable moment. i want to play just a small clip from the president just to remind everybody. take a look. >> there are too many people who happily embrace the legacy of racial reconciliation but passionately resist even modest reforms that would challenge chronic poverty and growing inequality. there are too many leaders who claim solidarity with his struggle for freedom but do not tolerate dissent from their own people. >> nicole, the president bringing up the complexities of how people can learn lessons from nelson mandela and what it means in modern times. what do you think we should be remembering most about mandela this week? >> it was an amazing speech and so important that he brought up those issues. transafrica fought against apartheid for years and years until it was overturned and yet today still transafrica is fighting against global apartheid. we have more separation around the planet with the have and

have nots than ever before. you can't have reconciliation, if you will, without truth. you can't bring sides together without justice of the a. and i thought that that was captured so well today. and for so many young people, for example, my little girls, they'll never know a world where nelson mandela was in prison. they'll only know him as a grandfather. but we have the responsibility to tell this story, tell the story of struggle, to tell the story of what it means when we say in the movement it always seems impossible until it's done. that's something that nelson mandela said. if we don't do that, we are not explaining to the next generation really the struggle. struggle is very much a part of progress, and the progress is something that is worth it in the end and that is what the life of nelson mandela shows, that through all of his pain and all of his struggle, he birthed a nation and it's a beautiful nation. i think we all saw that on tv today with just the celebration of his life and the excitement

in the crowd. and it's very, very powerful. and we hope to bring that hope here in washington tomorrow. >> you make a point never to forget. ladies, thank you so much. the timeless leila mcdowell and transafrica's nicole lee. thanks for being here, really nice to have both of you. i appreciate it. >> thank you. down to the wire. despite federal offices in washington being shut down because of a snowstorm, members of congress are furiously working to finish up their business before friday of the an aide to house armed services committee chair buck mckeon says he plans to file a compromised defense bill in the house either today or tomorrow. >> and a budget deal, that could be unveiled tomorrow just two days before the house goes into recess. republican senator roger wicker told chris jansing he's confident in paul ryan, the lead republican, in negotiations, but isn't so sure the deal tackles long-term problems. >> what i'm hearing is we are going to replace about $65 billion of appropriation cuts and we're going to do it sort of

with a collection of cats and dogs, fees on airline passengers, spectrum sales and things like that that don't amount to long-term savings in the next decade. >> join meeg riging me right no king. thanks for making time for me. we have heard that the budget does not deal with entitlement reform tax loopholes, major debt reduction or all of the sequestration cuts. you're on the special budget conference that's coming up with the plan. that's your feeling on how this is taking shape, and then what's your biggest linchpin of concern? >> well, first, thomas, i think it's really important to say that more important i believe than the numbers and the details are doing it at all. you've got to understand congress hasn't passed a budget in four years, and i think simply coming to a deal that can be passed by both houses and get us off of this crisis to crisis governing is in itself

important, and important to the country and important to the confidence in the country to help this recession that seems to be -- the recession that seems to be ending the momentum that's being gained in the economy to help that keep going. so that's a really important point and we shouldn't lose sight of that when we're talking about how it's being funded or what the actual dollars are. my impression is from talking to people around here this morning, and by the way, i should say, washington's offices are shut down, the congress is in full swing today. we're certainly working to get these deals done. that they are going to do a small deal that's going to deal with the sequester over the next couple of years but give us some certainty, not eliminate it entirely, but give the congress and the people of america some certainty about what the budgetary situation is going to be. as far as i'm concerned, that's -- that's going to be a serious victory because, you know, it's been crisis to crisis. >> correct.

>> it's really going to be in the hands of speaker john boehner, i think, and whether or not he's going to bring the compromise to the floor or whether he's going to let a small segment of his caucus basically say, the ones who don't want anything and like shutdowns, to stop this whole process. >> sir, let's talk about that, the governing crisis to crisis, because we don't want to reach that in a situation when we come with the defense bill. we've got the house and senate negotiators coming to an agreement on this stripped down version of it which features pay increases for service members and bars the transfer of gitmo detainees here and sexual assault reforms included as well. but a lot of senators wanted more amendments like senator kir kirsten gillibrand's proposal. do you expect that bill will stall in the senate? >> i don't think so. some people will swallow hard because some things that they didn't want on both sides of the aisle aren't going to be in it but that's the process of governing. mick jacker is a great

philosopher but if you try sometimes you often get what you need. what we need is some certainty and we need to put this crisis situation behind us. so, yeah, the defense -- i had some amendments that i was hoping would be able to be put on that bill that probably aren't going to happen, but 98% of what people want, the strongest set of sexual assault prohibitions and work in the history of this country is already in the bill. so i think people are going to go ahead and say, yeah, this is the best we can do right now and we're going to get this done. the same thing goes on the budget deal. i mean this is an opportunity -- people have to compromise. you cannot always get everything that you think you need and that's why i think it's so important -- >> but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need. >> that's it. >> we're going to leave it

there. >> thanks, thomas. >> as we both have rolling stones mick jacker tunes in our head for the rest of the day. senator king, thank you for making time for me. nearly one year to the day since the tranl dein -- tragedy in newtown, how far have we come? we'll take a look at a state-by-state report. who's getting passing marks and failing grades. we're also following developing news. say it ain't snow becauses falling up and down the eastern seaboard. mike seidel will join me from virginia which is getting hit for the second time this week. keep it locked in right here. we're back in a moment. to help secure retirements and protect financial futures. to help communities recover and rebuild. for companies going from garage to global. on the ground, in the air, even into space. we repaid every dollar america lent us. and gave america back a profit. we're here to keep our promises. to help you realize a better tomorrow. from the families of aig, happy holidays.

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the laws that have passed that have been far more meaningful to the good than the laws that have been passed that have been anything afternoon,

but make no mistake, we're always swimming against the tide of the corporate gun lobby who are trying to undermine sensible change on this issue. we've definitely done a lot not only to stem that tide but make tremendous progress, even on the federal level. >> that was dan gross of the brady campaign to prevent gun violence. his group along with the law center to reduce gun violence just released a state-by-state report card since the tragedy at newton which families will mark this saturday. eight states that passed major reforms are filling in the gaps where federal laws are not. this comes at a time when president obama has signed a bill extending the bill on plastic guns but stiffer laws like back ground checks have stalled in congress. robin thomas joins me now. thanks for being here. your study also found 21 states passed some form of gun legislation over the past year, but based on your report, do you

think that some states are going to pass stiffer legislation instead of waiting for congress where, i point out this is stalled? >> absolutely. i think that what you're going to see in 2014 is that similar to 2013 where our federal legislators are failing to act and to step up to protect our communities, state legislators and governors are stepping up to fill that gap. they're passing laws that protect communities and make our streets safer, that make our schools safer and they're getting support from their communities. we know that 97% of americans support these regulations and somebody is needing to respond to that and that's happening at the state level. we've been so proud and thrilled with what's happened in the last year and we look forward to continuing that. >> and a lot of people out there across this country that look at the constitutional amendment for the right to bear arms should be left up to states to have to figure out exactly what the laws mean for those individuals, but we have the advocacy group moms

demand action for gun sense in america releasing a psa pleading for people to be more vocal against the realities of gun violence and it features people taking part in moments of silence that are juxtaposed alongside what appears to be a shooter walking towards a school. meanwhile, the manufacturer of the gun that was used in the newtown massacre has reported that sales of all its products, all its products, have jumped some 36% since the actual incident happened. so, robin, when you look at these numbers and how the messages are going out in parallel worlds almost, who's winning the gun control messaging battle? >> well, i think we have a new reality since newtown where for the first time average americans, moms, law enforcement, average people in their communities are really stepping up and want to be heard. they're saying you know what, the corporate gun manufacturers who want to sell more guns and who are playing on people's fear

and the false premise that guns make you safer, which has been completely debunked by our research, are going head to head. and you know what, i go with the moms. the moms are saying we care about our children. when 20 first graders are not safe in their classroom, it's time to stand up and figure out solutions to the problem. we know there are solutions. we know that, for example, in california where we have robust gun regulation, gun violence has dropped by 56% in the last 20 years. contrast that with states where there are very weak or no gun laws that have the highest gun death rates in the country. so maybe gun sales are up, but i think people should be looking hard at whether having more guns in our community in fact makes you safer or actually puts your family and your community at risk and that's a really important question if you care about your children, your schools and your community is what is it that works. we can actually answer that question. >> robin thomas from the law center to prevent gun violence.

robin, thanks for making time for me, i appreciate it. this study and this conversation is the topic of our big question for you today. do states need to take the lead on gun reform? we can't seem to get anything done on a congressional level. give me your thoughts, weigh in on twitter or facebook. we'll get some of your thoughts on the air. then we have new developments in that domestic case against george zimmerman. why his girlfriend wants the charges she brought dropped. and we're following developing news impacting half the country. snow falling once again and this is round two for many spots on the east coast. we'll go to the weather channel's mike seidel who will join me straight ahead from virginia next. so i c an reach ally bank 24/7, but there are no branches? 24/7. i'm sorry, i'm just really reluctant to try new things. really? what's wrong with trying new things? look! mommy's new vacuum! (cat screech) you feel that in your muscles? i do... drink water.

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is anyone in the party really listening? the agenda panel will dig into both those topics straight ahead. ♪

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priority mail flat rate is more reliable than ever. and with improved tracking up to 11 scans, you can even watch us get it there. ♪ so now to the developing story impacting nearly half the country today. just look at that, washington, d.c., the snow is falling. and once again it's happening for many people the second time around. they have seen it earlier this week. one of those spots seeing round two is washington, d.c. it looks beautiful though, right? now the question on everybody's mind is just how much snow will fall this time? philadelphia another city getting socked again today after nearly 9 inches fell on sunday. that's more than all of last year. weather channel meteorologist mike seidel is in leesburg, virginia, about 30 miles outside of d.c. mike? >> reporter: hey, tauchhomas. we knew this was going to be a quick hitter. here in leesburg west of washington we had a four-hour window of snow.

out here on route 7 the road was snow covered in a matter of minutes. now, we had salt down already because we had snow and ice over the weekend. they presalted, they plowed and now with the temperature at 34 late morning, we're looking very, very nice as far as getting around. all those schools are closed so that certainly helped the traffic this morning and people did stay home from work. on the ground here about 2 to 3 inches. we've had six-inch totals and we're going to see 2 to 4 inch totals as the snow continues to move into parts of the northeast. but new york city, philadelphia, baltimore, all those areas is a four-hour window. reagan national, dulles airport, about 100 flights were cancelled. most were cancelled before the storm hit so airlines are being very conservative. they're not slashing the afternoon schedule because they know this is over with and they won't have to deice in the matter of an hour or so. new york city airports, long

delays. they had over 125 got you ardep cancelled. tomorrow morning down to 15, bittery cold on thursday, highs only in the 20s. the next storm, thomas, this weekend is likely going to dump a lot of snow in the interior northeast. al banny, worcester. the big cities, especially new york, philly, d.c., baltimore, will probably be mostly rain. thomas, back to you. >> the weather channel's mike seidel in leesburg, virginia, for us. thanks so much. so shifting to the civil war with house republican steve stockman taking on a powerful republican senator in john cornyn and then a promising figure, dick cheney gives props to governor chris christie with a caveat, of course. back on track, president obama bringing on a former clinton power player. these are the topics for our agenda panel today. victoria defrancesco soto, lee fang and steve benen.

gang, it's great to have you here. i want to start with this interesting civil war issue with steve stockman john cornyn. he said he's challenging cornyn because he's disappointed in the way he treated his fellow congressmen and broke the 11th commandment and undermined ted cruz's fight to stop obama care. steve, do you think that this is really what the challenge is all about? that statement that he made is just going over and over in my head. what do you make of that? >> well, i think you're right that there is certainly a civil war going on in the republican party right now. it seems odd in this case, in particular, because what we have is a very conservative senator in john cornyn being challenged by a hysterically conservative congressman in mr. stockman. i i think that it's a lot more than just the 11th commandment or the affordable care act with ted cruz. i think steve stockman is trying to possibly get a promotion and

has a wider venue to share his very strange ideas. >> today in "first read" we have them noting that seven of the 12 gop senate incumbents up for re-election receiving serious or semi serious tea party challenges. even if many of these tea partiers won the primaries, would they have a real chance in the general election? >> well, thomas, in the last few years we've seen republican primaries handing big victories to democrats in otherwise unwinnable states like todd aiken or christine o'donnell. unfortunately for democrats, this texas race is a missed opportunity because the filing deadline was last night. even if steve stockman wins the primary and potentially hands democrats, you know, a potential victory in the general election, they don't have a candidate, so democrats did not file any serious candidates. like i said, it could be a lost opportunity for the party. >> so, victoria, playing off of that, how does that affect other races in the state of texas? >> well, what we're seeing with

steve stockman is he's this really annoying tick on a really big dog, john cornyn, and he's going to be pulling the cornyn race further and further to the right but he's also going to be pulling all of the other races further to the right. and two things could possibly happen. one is he gets the republican right so riled up that they're going to have a big impact in helping defeat wendy davis. on the other hand, it could impact democrats and democrats could see this craziness on display with the steve stockman campaign and get them ready and motivated to come out for wendy davis. but even though anything is possible in politics, i do not think we're going to see another ted cruz happen. john cornyn just has too much money. he's an incumbent. and steve stockman is running on thin ice and trying to say he broke the 11th commandment. what else does he have? i think john cornyn is here to stay. >> i like when we look to the right of the right an see who's standing over there because this brings us to where we are with

dick cheney's comments on chris christie. they're sort of positive, kinda nice. they're not besties, but take a listen to this. >> i think chris is a promising figure. i don't agree with him on a lot of things, i'm more conservative than he is. chris christie has got to do a lot of work to earn the nomination, just like anybody else. >> do you think he'd blow up on the campaign trail? his temper would blow him up? >> i don't know. i don't know him that well. i had lunch with him once. i watched him operate. i wasn't a fan of the way he welcomed barack obama to new jersey when the hurricane hit. >> you would think that chris christie basically took a camera in with him and let them shoot him pulling the lever for barack obama in new jersey the way that they talk about how much it is chris christie's fault that he embraced president obama on the shores of new jersey after sandy. victoria, cheney says that christie is promising and then goes on to say he's more

conservative than christie is. so was he talking out of both sides of his mouth and really is anybody listening? >> i would say it's a backhanded compliment but i don't agree with dick cheney on many things but in this case i do. i don't think chris christie really has a shot, and not because he's too moderate. i just don't think the christie schtick will play well in other states, such as texas. in the primary here in texas, christie is not going to play well. so in this case i to agree with cheney. >> but doesn't he, steve, have time to change or enhance his image on the national stage as the chair of the rga and that puts him in states around the country and in people's living rooms and on their phones and in different venues where they can learn about the type of guy chris christie is and come to know him differently? >> it's possible. i think that the words we heard from dick cheney this morning are probably going to be prominently played over and over again in attack ads throughout the 2016 cycle and there's going to be a lot of problems.

i think victoria is absolutely right. when you look back over the course of the last several years it's going to be hard for christie to walk away from the fact that he referred to the republican base as crazies. i think this is going to be something that will be a recurring problem for him that will make it very challenging for him in primaries and caucuses in 2016. >> it's like you're a star witness in a criminal trial or something and i'm interrogating you. it's possible, but we don't know until we see. lee, let me ask you about this, when it comes to whether or not chris christie is really the candidate for the gop come 2016, it didn't seem like dick cheney really had the -- i guess the seeing eye of knowing if there really is a standout candidate come 2016. obviously it's not like somebody like kries christie for him. >> the republican primary since 1968 has been more or less chosen by the party establishment. everyone from richard nixon through mccain and mitt romney. so for chris christie's road to the white house, he has to convince the donor base, the big

business groups, the hedge fund manager, those types, the koch brothers and the party elders like dick cheney of the and cheney did have some kind words for him. >> did have some kind words, so the operative word there being "some." we'll rest our case there. victoria defrancesco soto, steve benen, lee fang, thanks to all of you. you can find more at thomasroberts.msnbc.com. today's producer picks comes from meeghan o'connor. in a recent interview with saturday night online.com, kanye west compared the dangers of singing on stage to working as a police officer or a soldier on the front lines. >> i'm putting my life at risk. i think about when i'm on the moment like they mountain goes very, very high. and if i slipped and i think about my family. i'm like, wow, this is like, you

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i have a cold with this annoying runny nose. [ sniffles ] i better take something. [ male announcer ] dayquil cold and flu doesn't treat all that. it doesn't? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast-acting antihistamine. oh, what a relief it is! so there is no doubt that pope francis is becoming the face of the catholic church's modernization. a look at one of his latest tweets calling on good samaritans to help the suffering and poor goes to show his candor about the direction that he wants to take the church, but the announcement that he has decided to form a new commission to advise him on how to prevent sexual abuse and help victims of sexual violence at the hands of clergy is drawing criticism from those who say it does not go far enough. the announcement came just two days after the vatican rejected an inquiry by the u.n. to provide information on alleged child sex abuse cases saying those cases fell under the jurisdiction of authorities in the countries where those crimes

took place. david clohessy is the national director of snap which is the national survivors network of those abused by priests. david, accordsing to the vatican, this commission will oversee the implementation of the following new initiatives and these include guidelines and standards. and the protection of children -- for the protection of children, training programs, criminal background checks, psychiatric evaluations for those who are going to be working with children, protocols for collaborating with civil authorities and for reporting offenses. now, in a statement your organization has compared it to offering a band-aid to an advanced cancer patient. so explain what your biggest concern is off the bat about the new commission and its initiatives. >> well, our biggest concern is that it does not protect children right now and it implies that shomehow there's a lack of education or lack of knowledge on the part of top catholic officials regarding child sex crimes and cover-ups. there's no lack of information.

the church officials have been dealing with this crisis literally for centuries. they know the right thing to do. and yet they're not doing it. and they continue to talk about education and research and that's not the answer. >> david, it seems as if -- and obviously i have a personal history and all of this, there's never going to be enough to make amends for the atrocities that have happened to kids, for those that have survived being abused at the hands of priests who have damaged relationships now, personally their relationships with the church. would you concede, though, that this commission is about starting and especially under pope francis, starting a new dialogue to help exactly what you're saying, to protect children from this point on and he's trying to freshen up what this conversation means, coming in behind pope benedict and recognizing that a lot of work needs to be done, especially in the transparency, so is this a

decent first step? >> well, it would be -- i would love to believe that, but the sad, simple fact, of course, is that children are being raped and sodomized right now and priests are being transferred right now of the and with the stroke of a pen, pope francis could order every bishop to turn overall of his files about predator priests to law enforcement. and with the stroke of a pen he could order every bishop to post on their websites the names of known child-molesting clerics. it looks like a decent start to people, i think, who fail to realize that the bar has been set, the expectations bar for catholic officials has been set phenomenally low. pope francis is the fourth most powerful man on the planet. so when you think about the severity of the harm, the long standing nature of the crisis and the pope's power, that's what makes us feel so disappointed in yet another internal church panel. is it better than nothing? of course it is. >> but again, it would be great to see them try to come forward

with the transparency that you and i would both love for them to put forward. is there any encouragement, though, or any encouraging signs that you've seen from the transition from pope benedict to pope francis and the way that he has offered himself as the leader of the catholic church that provides that hope that you need to move forward with these conversations about trying to make sure that that transparency is there, that predator priests are revealed and that any of those covered-up files, decades old, are brought forward and they can see the light? >> well, certainly, you know, we're just like everybody else. who can't be impressed with the pope's personal humility and his compassion for the poor and the disenfranchised. i mean there are a lot of encouraging things about him as an individual and him regarding the symbolism of his first months in office. and it should be noted that the last time the vatican took a truly global initiative about

clergy sex abuse was in 2001 when pope benedict said send all those reports to rome. which, you know, wasn't a step forward, that was actually damage control. so, sure, this is better than nothing and it is indeed a start, but the stakes are so high and we are less concerned about the files from the past. we're less concerned about helping those who have already been wounded because, frankly, as adults we can help ourselves heal. but the children who are vulnerable now, the children who are being molested right now, they need the pope's help today. they don't need some long-term study that says, gee, shucks, when this stuff happens maybe we should consider calling the police. that needs to be happening today. >> david clohessy, it's nice to see you. thanks for your time, appreciate it. >> thanks for your time, appreciate it very much. here's a look at some of the stories topping the news. same-sex couples in england and wales can get married in march.

when the law was passed the original time frame was the summer of 2014 so now it's springtime. a frantic search is under way in the remote northwest mountains of nevada for two adults and four children. the group went children. the group went out for a day trip to play in the snow. they have not been heard from since. eighteen current deputies under arrest. conspired to obstruct a federal investigation. one month after what was a heated argument between george zimmerman and his girlfriend that resulted in assault and battery charges. she now wants charges dropped. accused him of braking a table with a shotgun and now pointed the shotgun at her. in a signed affidavit she said he never pointed the shotgun at her. police must have misinterpreted her. charges will not be charged

against aron ralston who cut off his arm when he was stuck in a boulder. there were reports of domestic abuse, his girlfriend faces charges of assault and disturbing the peace. police arrested a man accused of pranking coaches from nfl, nba and college football into thinking he could offer them jobs with professional teams. 32-year-old prangd nbc ank list tony dunkee among high-profile and current coaches. he's been charged with felony eavesdropping. a new charge at lululemon now that the founder stepped down as chairman. wilson came under fire after saying some women's bodies didn't work for yoga pants. the company accused of making pants that are too sheer. to help communities recover and rebuild.

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so believe it or not, even world leaders selfie. time for the sidebar. take a look at this. a picture that appears to show president obama and british and danish prime ministers taking a selfie. they are getting a bit of flack for doing it during a somber service. netflix will stream a documentary about mitt romney entitled "mitt." it will chronicle his run ending with his concession speech. with the obamas, the bushes and hillary clinton board "air force one" to south africa. who is left where? according to the white house president and mrs. bush the medical cabinet for in-flight doctor, not for medical reasons but space and senator clinton given a staff cabin. secretary kerry has a new side kick.

he introduced in a state department tweet. the yellow lab named ben after ben franklin. he joined the kerry family by way of a breeder in maine. ben is a good looking pup. see you back tomorrow at 11:00 eastern time. "now" with alex wagner coming up next. alex. you owe me a yogurt, i hear. >> you heard about that. >> i heard about that. >> america found you had your own refrigerator stocked with yogurt. >> the only way to go. >> i have stolen yogurt. >> you are free to take a yogurt any time you want as is anybody who finds one that is not expired. >> thanks, thomas. the first black president of south africa honored by the first black president of america. we will discuss president obama's historic eulogy from johannesburg with josh barrow, richard wolfe, curt anderson. plus top chef tom colicchio scoring lawmakers on how good

they are on the subject of hunger. we will find out who is winning and who is losing. just in time for christmas, a new coloring book about senator ted cruz. you can file it under endoctrination text. all that when "now" starts right after this. afghanistan in 2009. on the u.s.s. saratoga in 1982. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. where their electricity comes from. they flip the switch-- and the light comes on. it's our job to make sure that it does. using natural gas this power plant can produce enough energy for about 600,000 homes. generating electricity that's cleaner

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meetings start at 11, cindy. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one. choose 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day. what's in your wallet? i need your timesheets, larry! it's tuesday december 10th and this is "now." early this morning in johannesburg under a cold, hard rain, tens of thousands of people, and at least 91 world leaders gathered to pay tribute to former south african president nelson mandela. among those in attendance, president barack obama who offered a eulogy for the south african leader honoring the life he lived and the place he